6 Things to Do Today to Help You Sleep Better Tonight

Sleeping can be a challenge for many. There are too many distractions and the stress can be too much to handle as well. Essentially, the things you do during the day can influence the quality of your sleep later at night. And with restful slumber, you’ll feel a significant difference in how you wake up the following day.

Here are 6 things you can do today that’ll help you sleep better at night:

1. Make your bed in the morning

Don’t just get up and get out of the house, leaving your bed unmade. According to a study published on National Sleep Foundation, people who make their beds every day are 19 percent more likely to experience a good night’s rest. Plus, seeing that your bed is clean makes you feel more relaxed, inducing sleepiness.

2. Open the shades for natural sunlight

Receiving natural sunlight in the morning aids in synchronizing your internal clock to the current environment. For better quality of sleep, it is essential that the body is in synch with the light-dark cycle for the secretion of melatonin to take place. This way, you’ll be able to sleep at night with more ease.

3. Exercise at noon (or whenever you can during the day)

A weekly workout (moderate to intense) lasting for just even a total of 150 minutes can help enhance the quality of sleep by 65 percent. Researches suppose that the natural cooldown that happens after exercising could help accelerate the drop in core body temperature that’s linked to sleep. Given this, sleeping becomes easier during bedtime.

4. Opt for whole grains for dinner

For just a few nights every week, you should consider adding some whole grains into your dinner such as whole wheat macaroni for its magnesium. This mineral provides a soothing effect on the muscles and the entire nervous system. Aside from this, magnesium helps with generation and assimilation of one of the neurotransmitters in the brain that facilitate sleep.

5. Take a relaxing bath at night

It is important that your time at night is segregated from the stressful experience of your day. A hot bath can help you set a soothing feeling at home at night, making you slightly forget the hassles you endured during the day. In a study, it was found that older females suffering from insomnia who took a bath at least 90 minutes prior bedtime reported better quality of sleep.

6. Watch television on the couch, not on the bed

Use your bed when you’re only super exhausted. The time you spend out of your bed heightens your need for slumber. The more you linger in your bed doing a lot of things, the farther you’re making it for yourself to feel tired and in need of shut-eye. Spending more time in bed somehow signals your body that you require less respite. Hence, you end up lowering your need for a deep sleep.